One night, at the tail end of a vacation in Europe, Kelli Field suddenly hit a wall. “I just started crying and I just told my husband, I can't do it anymore”. After decades of working in a high earning, high stress career that took a huge toll on her health, she realized she couldn’t go back to work. Something deep inside her had finally said no. “My life had all the trappings of the American dream. Big house, expensive cars, long commute. I did everything I thought I was supposed to do to be happy…but it was like a suit of clothing that no longer fit, and something had to give”.

With no idea what to do next, Kelly followed a longtime goal to walk the Camino de Santiago, a grueling 800 kilometer pilgrimage across northern Spain.  It was a walk that laid bare everything that needed to change, and kick-started an amazing journey of personal growth. 

On this episode, Kelly takes us through the profound experience of the Camino and the extraordinary choice she and her husband made once she returned. It’s the story of jumping off a cliff, without knowing there’d be a net at the bottom.This is the first of two episodes where we look at the stories of Camino walkers and how this epic pilgrimage changes lives.

About Kelli Field

Kelli Field is an American writer living in Spain. Her debut novel, The Grief of Goodbye, was released in 2023. It’s a story set in beautiful northern Spain on the Camino de Santiago. Her second book in The Camino Family Trilogy will be released in 2024. She writes and paints from a converted chicken coop on her lavender farm in Galicia, Spain, and she is the founder of the Santiago de Compostela Book Club for Pilgrims (@santiagodecompostelabookclub on FB). Kelli also runs the Happiness Cafe vegetarian and non-gluten food truck for pilgrims walking the Camino France. Kelli's personal motto is to 'Make friends with discomfort, and lean in hard to being really, really bad at something so that you can get good at it.'

Connect with Kelli Field

www.vivaespanamovingtospain.com

@happinessonthecamino (instagram)

Kelli’s novel, The Grief of Goodbye can be found at a range of retailers including
 Amazon and Barnes and Noble

About the Show
The Breakout is the hit podcast hosted by human resources and change experts Dr. Keri Ohlrich and Kelly Guenther. The founders of Abbracci Group, a results-driven coaching, HR Management and consulting firm, Keri and Kelly are laser-focused on getting the best out of people. They launched The Breakout in early 2023 to find the best stories and advice on busting boundaries and making change, and since then the show has charted #1 in self-improvement, #1 in education, and #7 in all podcasts.

Join Keri and Kelly on The Breakout as they get advice and insights from change experts, and learn from people who have really done it how you can dive into personal growth, increase self confidence, and move your life into bold new territory.

Each episode comes with lessons on living courageously, with topics on self-help, leadership, personal development, building success, setting personal boundaries, growing your confidence, overcoming self doubt, and knowing your self worth. From huge transformations to quiet shifts, The Breakout highlights why every change matters.

At Abbracci Group, Keri and Kelly offer a four-step coaching process to help you increase your self-awareness, break out of expectations, and live life on your terms.  Learn more at abbraccigroup.com.

Keri and Kelly’s new book Whatever the Hell You Want – An Escape Plan to Break Out of Life’s Little Boxes and Live Free From Expectations, will be out in October 2024 and is available for pre-order now! Dr. Keri Ohlrich’s book The Way of the HR Warrior is available now.

Connect with Dr. Keri Ohlrich and Kelly Guenther

https://www.instagram.com/thebreakoutpod/

https://abbraccigroup.com/podcast/

https://www.facebook.com/thebreakoutpodcast/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/abbraccigroup/

https://www.youtube.com/@thebreakoutpodcast